Method of refining fats and oils.



I menace.

snvnniu noaesrnnn, or tnrrzre, ennn METHOD or arr No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it know-n that I, SEVERIN MoRGENsTnBN, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony, Empire of Germany, have invented'certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Refining Fats and Oils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the refining of fats and oils and relates more partlcularly to the refinement, deodorization and bleaching of waste fats which are themselves unsuitable for the manufacture of soaps or for otherwise Working up after separating their fatty acids. The improved method 1s particularly directed to the utilization of waste fats and oils such as fecal fat, train oil, herring oil and the like.

It is already known' to refine oils and fats by means of alkalis, earth alkalis or the like by treating the fatty substance with the aqueous solution or digestion of bases at a temperature of over 100 C. In this manner a lower portion "is formed, consisting of soaps, which precipitates the mucous substances and other impurities of the fatty substance with it. Such methods, in some cases subject also to the action of steam, are particularly employed for refining alimentary fats and oils. They are principally neutralizing processes and are not intended to. saponify the whole oil but simply to precipitate and bring down the extraneous substances such as albumens, mucous substances and the like. These processes cannot be employed with success for waste fats and oils of y the kind hereinbefore stated, that is to say,

dark fetid fats and oils having a high percentage of free fatty'acids. In such cases it has hitherto been usual in practice to chemically bleach the fats direct or to bleach the soaps produced from the fats by means of chemical agents.

The present invention enables extremely good results to be obtained in a very simple manner in the bleaching and deodorizing of I the most offensive smelling fats.

The process consists in treatin the fatty substance, for example, napht ene acid, herri oil and the like, with the bases of the al ali metals or alkaline earth metals at high temperatures in closed apparatus so that, after complete or partial saponification, the mass is heated for a length of time at a temperature of over 150 C.

In carrying out the present invention the e rare nun 'orLs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Aug, 13, 11,

Application filed July 3, 1914. Serial N0. $48,925. i

fats are heated with the bases in closed autoclaves for a considerable length oftime at a temperature of over 150 C. the gaseous products or vapors resulting from this treatment being prevented from escaping and care being taken as far as possible to exclude alr.

It is initself known to heat bases and fats in closed apparatus for the purpose of saponifying, if desired under high pressure, but in this case the heating was only continued until the saponification had taken place and there was no reason to extend this treatment, which is in any case expensive, since one was always dealing with'technically pure fats which did not require deodorizing and bleaching.

' In the present process, on the contrary, the

treatment with the bases under pressure and at a high temperature is carried further,

both as regards the temperature and the length of treatment, than would be necessary 'for mere saponification. It is in this case,

in principle, inimaterial whether suilicieilt bases are present to saponify the whole fat, but it should be emphasized that the refinement of the fat proceeds more energetically when more bases are present and the bases may be present in excess of the quantity necessary for saponification when it is necessa to treat strong smelling, highly colored and quired for producing saponification the less the period of superheating required, and the richer the fat is in unsaturated fatty acids the longer the superheating must be continued.

The improved method may also be carried out by first of 'all proceeding with the treatment in any known manner until saponification occurs and then placing the saponified mass in autoclaves and heating it to a temperature of to 300 C. or more.

In most cases, however, it is desirable, in

Q v narrate 4 order to avoid inconvenience in the work; rooms from the objectionable smells, to carry out the treatment without interruption hy inclosing the-fats to he reed with the has% in an autoclave from the coeneement and then to heat beyond saponification.

The fats so treated are excellently ed andare improved as regards odor and color to a much greater extent than when treated by the own methods. I In particular it is found that the objectionable odor which in the previous methods, for example, on treatment with steam, always returned after a short time, is entirely avoided by the present process.

The following is an example of the method of carrying out the improved process-$00 kiloams of fecal fat are intimately mixed with 50 kilograms of caustic lime which has been slalred with a like quantity of water. The mass so obtained it then heated in a closed autoclave for 6 hours at a temperature of 200 C., care being taken that the gaseous products and vapore teed remain inthe autoclave. A soap ma results which is so improved in color and ell that after transforming it with soda it can he used as household soap. Such efieete could only he obtained hitherto hy eepouent distillation of liberated fatty ll claimseation and suhs-w i. The herein described matte a refin ing fats and oils, and particularly waste tats such as speci, which comprims mixing the material to he treated with a Base, the propomion of the lease hei in excess out that required for sanifieation of the fat, heating the mixture, to edect saponification, and. thereaftercontinuing the heating in a closed autoclave for about six hours at a tep era ture of over 15W centigrade.

ln testimon whereof ll aha my siature in presence o two w SEVElltllN MtlRGlENS'lEltN. Wltnesees;

hnrnnn ltrerir,

Renown Fnrerrn. 

